Marguerite Ann Norris, also known as Marguerite Riker or Marguerite Norris-Riker, was an American ice hockey executive. She was the first female team executive in National Hockey League history.
Early life and education
Norris was born to James E. Norris in 1927 and was the sister of Bruce and James D. Norris. As the youngest sibling of four, she was often made the goaltender for her brothers to practice. Norris was educated at Smith College and worked for West Farm Management and Dun & Bradstreet.
Hockey career
Norris became president of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League after her father James E. Norris died in 1952, making her the first female chief executive in the history of the league. General ManagerJack Adams announced that Norris was selected by her father prior to his death to succeed him as president. In her first meeting with the press, she was surrounded by hockey reporters, fashion reporters, and photographers. Prior to Norris' first game with the Red Wings against the Montreal Canadiens, Maurice Richard made an exception to his usual rule of "fraternizing with the enemy" to present her with flowers. It was later reported this angered him so much he took six minor penalties in the first period. Shortly after her takeover, reports emerged that the arena was cleaner, freshly painted, and a wire screen was in place to protect fans from flying pucks. Norris also advocated for arenas to be more female fan friendly and for all farm teams to be equally treated across the system. During her tenure with the Red Wings, she saw the team win the Stanley Cup in both the 1954 and 1955 seasons, making her the first woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup. However, despite her success, she still experienced discrimination based on her gender. Conn Smythe forbade Norris from sitting on the Board of Governors although she secretly voted through Jack Adams using hand gestures. She also butted heads with Adams who insisted on referring to her as "dearie." After the championship 1955 season, Norris was succeeded as president by her brother Bruce and became the teams Vice President. She stepped down as president to focus on her business in New York City. As Vice President, the Norris siblings donated $300, 000 to fund the James NorrisPhysical Education Center at Lake Superior State University. Despite her short tenure, she was inducted into the Red Wings Hall of Fame in 1976 alongside Jimmy Skinner and Tommy Ivan.
Personal life
Norris married her husband John J. Riker on October 26, 1960 in New York. Together, they had four children; two daughters and two sons. Norris and Riker co-owned The Westenhook Farm in Southbury, Connecticut. She died in 1994 at age 67 at her home in Southbury, Connecticut due to heart failure.
